Lawmakers discussed geopolitical challenges during the House Agriculture Committee’s hearing on the energy title of the farm bill. According to USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small, the Russia-Ukraine war highlights short and long-term challenges for U.S. energy. “Our key opportunity here is to invest in solutions to build energy resiliency in terms of a local supply in the short-term and a more resilient, cleaner supply in the future.” Committee Ranking Member Glenn “G.T.” Thompson said there are good resources in America. “This is a solution for the fertilizer issue with natural gas development. That’s something that can be done with a stroke of a pen,” said Thompson. “I also appreciate the USDA’s focus on the importance of ethanol to rural communities as well, but I am troubled by the administration’s insistence on massive subsidies to spur the promotion of electric vehicles.”
